As advertised it's a fusion on classical music and classic rock. The group was backed by a medium-sized choir and orchestra. The choir for the show comprised of students from a local high school.

Mairead played a prominent role in the production. She was at the front of the stage for most of the songs. Her style and energy are perfect for this show and she looked like she was having a great time.

The drummer and lead guitarist was really good. The singers were also pretty impressive, particularly the lead female singers. Chloe Lowery and Kimberly Nichole (former contestant on The Voice), have a lot of power and sing with a ton of heart. Ximena Borges has the most classical style of the vocalists and my goodness does she ever have a stunning operatic voice!

All the big numbers from the PBS special were performed, along with some others that weren't aired on the special.

Some of those that stood out were:- Come Sail Away (Styx)- I Want to Know What Love Is (Foreigner)- On the Turning Away (Pink Floyd)- Because the Night (Patti Smith)- Dream On (Aerosmith)- Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me (Elton John)- Alone (Heart)- Don't Stop Believin' (Journey)

I was sitting a few rows back for the first half, then moved up front to some vacant seats for the second half so I could get a closer view. Mairead recognized me and mouthed out "hi" to me during the show.

The venue was pretty up tight about people taking pictures. They basically had people roaming up and down the aisles during the whole show telling people to put their cameras away. Sneaking pictures was pretty challenging.

After the show, the cast sat at a table in the lobby for an autograph signing session. I got a Rocktopia poster signed by the cast.

I got to meet Mairead Nesbitt!!! This was my first time meeting her. I gave her a nice card (one of the ones I've been working on for the past month or so) and told her how amazing she was. She wanted to make sure I enjoyed the show (I did). They had to keep the line moving, but Mairead was nice enough to hang around for me after the line was finished and I got to hug her and take a few pictures with her. She's as sweet as she is talented. There were a couple of things I forgot to say, but most of it was in the card and I Tweeted her whatever else I left out.

I also got to meet the other performers in the signing line. Chloe apparently noticed me from the stage during the show and said she I looked really cute when I was enjoying the show. I was probably blushing a lot. I didn't have time to take pics with her after the line dispersed as it was getting pretty late but I did get a chance to tell her in the signing line how incredible her voice was.

Overall, that was a really enjoyable experience. I thought the music and performers were great. I don't think I'll ever be as passionate about a show as I am for Celtic Woman, but Rocktopia was a lot of fun!

As good as the show was, the highlight of my night was meeting Mairead.

WHEW! went to the Rocktopia show in Charlotte last nite -- that was some serious butt-kickery! ...those 3 ladies can really belt, and the guys have some pipes, too ...and the guitarists and drummer are as good as you could want. The orchestra was about 20-folks strong -- not as big as in some venues, but they were really good -- and there were about 12 choir singers. AND there was Mairead... sawin' on that violin like mad... I don't know why the strings didn't shred... or melt. (If she uses the Mairead-line of fiddles, they must be high quality -- just sayin'.) It's obvious that the other musicians have a real respect for Mairead, and she can match that guitar player lick-for-lick. She is on-stage for the majority of the show -- but notably (and surprisingly) not on-stage for the Hendrix number. I don't know how she got involved with this show, but she sure looks like she's lovin' it. I really wish these folks lots of success. They are definitely talented and seem to be real and to appreciate the folks who come to see them. Yeah, it's PR and all, but not many bands include a meet-and-greet/autograph session with the purchase of a $10 poster -- actually, I don't believe you had to purchase anything to get in line. Ticket sales are evidently disappointing -- Charlotte was maaaaaybe 60% sold, and they had a last-minute 2-for-1 ticket sale. I hope other venues are doing better. If this tour comes to your city or close-by, and you enjoy 70s/80s rock (+ Mairead Nesbitt on violin, at least for now), you will enjoy this show. I didn't hear a single complaint from other attendees. (I woulda captured a performance on video, but the viddy police were out in force and halted my effort to record "Don't Let the Sun..." oh, well...)

Logged

"Face piles of trials with smiles. It riles them to believe that you perceive the web they weave. Keep on thinking free."

WHEW! went to the Rocktopia show in Charlotte last nite -- that was some serious butt-kickery! ...those 3 ladies can really belt, and the guys have some pipes, too ...and the guitarists and drummer are as good as you could want. The orchestra was about 20-folks strong -- not as big as in some venues, but they were really good -- and there were about 12 choir singers. AND there was Mairead... sawin' on that violin like mad... I don't know why the strings didn't shred... or melt. (If she uses the Mairead-line of fiddles, they must be high quality -- just sayin'.) It's obvious that the other musicians have a real respect for Mairead, and she can match that guitar player lick-for-lick. She is on-stage for the majority of the show -- but notably (and surprisingly) not on-stage for the Hendrix number. I don't know how she got involved with this show, but she sure looks like she's lovin' it. I really wish these folks lots of success. They are definitely talented and seem to be real and to appreciate the folks who come to see them. Yeah, it's PR and all, but not many bands include a meet-and-greet/autograph session with the purchase of a $10 poster -- actually, I don't believe you had to purchase anything to get in line. Ticket sales are evidently disappointing -- Charlotte was maaaaaybe 60% sold, and they had a last-minute 2-for-1 ticket sale. I hope other venues are doing better. If this tour comes to your city or close-by, and you enjoy 70s/80s rock (+ Mairead Nesbitt on violin, at least for now), you will enjoy this show. I didn't hear a single complaint from other attendees. (I woulda captured a performance on video, but the viddy police were out in force and halted my effort to record "Don't Let the Sun..." oh, well...)

I hope ROCKTOPIA is not fizzling out... right now, there's only one show on the schedule (Aug 12, Bethel NY), and tix are plentiful. Mairead has a show with her family in Ireland a few days later, so this leg of the ROCKTOPIA Tour is at-best getting off to a stuttering start. I'd certainly go see this show again...

Logged

"Face piles of trials with smiles. It riles them to believe that you perceive the web they weave. Keep on thinking free."